Providing electrical safety at your work place

The Association of Professional Appliance Testers was formed in 2005 as the market for compliance expanded and rogue testers entered the market looking to cash in on uncertainty from employers on the interpretation of electrical standard AS/NZS 3760:2003. Many contractors, even though they may not have had up to date appropriate training, do not possess the relevant qualifications and have probably not acquired the specific experience.

There are other recognised Professional Associations within the Electrical Contracting Industry who assess a company's professionalism and the experience and qualifications of a specific individual within that company. But quite often employees other than the specific individual are given the responsibility for the quality control mechanism of our industry i.e. that of Inspecting and Testing and subsequently issuing test reports and schedules.

As well as assessing a company's quality, all the individuals within that company seeking APAT approval must undergo a vetting process. If they do not possess the requisite qualifications, they must undertake the full APAT technical assessment which comprises a working knowledge of AS/NZS 3760:2003 and practical skills session and/or practical Portable Appliance Testing session depending on the type of approval being sought.

The current situation which allows individuals to Inspect & Test when no one has assessed their abilities is unlikely to achieve conformity with the relevant parts of the Electricity Act.

APAT is the only trade association dedicated to monitoring the competence of all its members for Inspection, Testing and System Verification. Our aim is to set the standard for the industry. These aims and objectives are being achieved by the implementation of our strict individual vetting policy, cost effective training courses, technical updates & advice, and by harnessing expertise on a regional basis to provide a national network of APAT representatives.

APAT polices and maintains its standards, with friendly support and in partnership with its members.

We emphasise that a little knowledge is often sufficient to make electrical equipment function, but a much higher level of knowledge and experience is needed to ensure its safety.